Taking control of a white bunny, your goal in every level is to reach the end flag. As an auto-runner, the character moves automatically in either direction, and all that’s required from you is either one tap on the screen for a single jump or two for a double jump. If you hit a wall moving rightwards then the character automatically changes direction until you do the same again; this is, unless you can jump in-between walls, a move that can help you reach higher areas. Often blocking your way, though, are spiked-surfaces, enemies (some small, others gargantuan), and tricky puzzles. The further you reach, the more intense and difficult these become.
Along the way are carrots for you to collect, which can be used on returning to the nearest checkpoint if you die rather than restarting the level – the further you are in the level the more carrots this costs. The more essential collectable, though, are gold keys. The game is split up into worlds, with five levels in each, and order to reach the next world, a certain amount of keys need to be collected. Go out of your way to ensure you collect all three keys in every level you do, and you’ll have the opportunity to skip levels altogether, moving on to the next world when in trouble. Alternatively, if hard work isn’t your thing, you can pay £0.99 and unlock the next area straight away.
Like Super Mario Run and Temple Run before it, Yeah Bunny – or Bunny Run, as it should be called – succeeds in being extremely easy to play. Just three tutorial hints are needed, showing you how to jump, double jump, and jump between platforms, meaning after just a minute of play the basics are understood. This isn’t to be confused with its gameplay being easy, though; in fact it’s quite the opposite. It runs at a fast pace, giving you very little time for decision making. The levels are well-designed so that, certainly towards the more difficult stages, there isn’t much margin for error. Making gold keys a necessity also increases the difficulty: they’re often hidden away in areas that are harder to reach. For a game that features such simple graphics and mechanics, it can be devilishly difficult.
The speed and challenge of Yeah Bunny result in it being addictive: every time you die that ‘one more time’ in your conscience tells you to go again, that another go only takes up a few seconds. Of course, those few seconds inevitably lead to more attempts, and by that time the game most probably has you hooked – maybe not as hooked as on green pipes and giant mushrooms, but hooked nonetheless.
Available on iOS.
